Design Hacks: 4 Ways to Make Your Small Space Feel Bigger

Designing for a small space requires some ingenuity, but it's not impossible! Imagine downsizing from a 1,300 square-feet home to just 300. Face it, most of us could afford to get rid of SOME of our stuff, but such a dramatic change might not be for everyone. We spoke with Cody and Sarah Jensen from the Lower Eastside Manhattan area in New York, who went through this same feat. Read on for tips and tricks on maximizing your minimization.

1. Maximize Your Space

Three-hundred square feet is approximately the size of seven king-sized beds, or a hundred square-feet smaller than the average two-car garage. Maximizing your space means finding different purposes for different furniture items. For example, the couple's sofa turns into a queen-sized bed for whenever guests are over. And it also works as storage! Their coffee table also turns into a dining room table that sits six people around it. Their space might seem small, but they can still hold a dinner party and have overnight guests. How about that!

2. Everything Has a Purpose

The New York couple has had to chuck knick-knacks simply because they didn't have the room. Any extras are just things that make them happy. Not everything has to have a function to it, but biding by this rule is useful – which means no impulse buying!

3. Mix Creativity with Practicality

When you're living in such a small space, you really have to be creative and think deep about what furniture you will be using. The couple has a high-end Murphy bed that fits their style and can be folded up when they aren't using it. Basically, you have no room for error when it comes to your home décor – pun intended!

4. Use the Walls

Protecting your floor space as much as possible is important. So moving items off the floor and onto the walls is impactful in making a smaller space feel bigger. The Jensens even turned their fireplace into storage space for books, and added a standalone wardrobe for more clothing space. It's all about being intentional with every single square foot you have.

Downsizing into a 300 square-feet space might seem like an extreme sport reserved for the faint of heart. But these New Yorkers are making the challenge feel and LOOK effortless!

How do you feel about downsizing? Join the conversation on our Facebook page @TheListShowTV.